European Regulation Reach

Registration, Authorization, Evaluation of chemical Substance

REACH is the new European Regulation governing the use of chemicals and is one of the largest archives legislation: its scope covers about 30,000 different substances. Substances for REACH are both chemical compounds and products contained in commercial articles.

The REACH involves social-economic aspects, like health, protection for consumers, both for workers and for environment.

The REACH Regulation provides for the establishment of a body responsible for registration, licensing, assessment and restriction of chemicals: that body will be the European Chemicals Agency. The Agency will manage all technical, scientific and administrative aspects of REACH, providing Member States and the European Institutions for scientific advice on issues related to chemicals.

The Agency will establish a Register where will be recorded both the pollutants and the alternatives. In this way, the REACH will be structured like a harmonious and simple system so that the records can be consulted by the Industries and the Member States. Any manufacturer of chemicals will be obliged to notify to the Agency its identity, the identity of the substance and the label of danger.

It is subject to review every 5 years.

The Reach is applied:

- To manufacturing activity, marketing and use of chemical substances and preparations as such or as components of articles.

The Reach does not apply to:

- Radioactive substances, substances under customs supervision in the community, substances present in Europe only in transit, non-isolated intermediates and by rail, air, sea or road transport of dangerous substances.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has made ​​a list of substances (candidate list) hazardous to health and the environment. This list can be downloaded from the link on the right.

Also note that the entering of a substance in the candidate list involves, for producers and importers of articles containing that substance, the obligation to notify provided by the paragraph 2 of REACH, within 6 months from the date of substance inclusion.